Users of computing devices have at their disposal myriads of application programs for performing untold varieties of tasks. Often a user who is working with one application program finds he needs certain information unavailable to the currently running application program in order to continue his work. To obtain this information, the user usually needs to suspend work in the current application program and run a second application program for the specific purpose of obtaining the desired information. In addition to being inconvenient, this practice can be considerably inefficient, and the inefficiency can increase when the user needs to repeat the practice frequently throughout the day.
Consider, for example, a user who responds to email from clients or customers who are inquiring about a claim related to their insurance policy. In order to respond to one email, the user may realize he needs to review the actual record of the claim, which is stored in a database. To review the record, the user runs an application program that accesses the database. To obtain the particular record, the user then supplies the application program with an identifier, such as a policy number, claim number, account number, etc, that the application program can use to search the database. Even before submitting the identifier, the user may need to supply a username and password to gain access to the database. After the database returns the sought-for record, then the user can return to the email application with the obtained information and prepare a response to the customer who submitted the inquiry. If repeated often, this practice becomes bothersome and inefficient. Thus, there is a need for system and method for retrieving information that can avoid the inconvenience and inefficiency of the present practice described above.